Dish of the Day: Baiti rolls @ Ye Li Xia Li

Every few days our team will scour Shanghai’s dining scene for scrumptious dishes that’ll fill your belly without emptying your savings. Not to discriminate, we’ll search everywhere from bicycle carts to chic venues with twenty-course tasting menus, knowing that any spot could have the next Dish of the Day.Xinjiang chain Ye Li Xia Li’s bustling environment and kaleidoscopic colors are matched by an equally vibrant menu, featuring dapan chicken platters, Looney Toons-sized beer flagons, fresh juices from the juice bar, and every preparation of lamb from kebabs to the whole animal. And unlike at many xinjiang spots, the actual dishes are as high def and delicious as their photos suggest. Our fave is the baiti roll (baiti juan, 百题卷, 48RMB).A popular dish throughout Turkey, the baiti roll (more commonly written as “beyti” in English) consists of minced halal beef or lamb wrapped in a thin flatbread stocking called lavash and served with a bowl of sour yoghurt. And its deliciousness transcends the sum of its sumptuous parts. The spicy, savory beef fares well enough on its own, but wrap it in starch, dunk it in face-scrunchingly-sour but delightfully creamy yogurt, and you’ve got succulence to the nth degree. There’s also something inherently satisfying about dipping wrapped meat in sauce, whether sushi or baiti rolls. As far as we know, Ye Li Xia Li’s the only place offering these beef rollups in Shanghai, so head on down.Ye Li Xia Li – 106 Nandan Dong Lu, near Tianyaoqiao Lu (南丹东路106号, 近天钥桥路). Tel: (0)21-5020-1057. Hours: 11am-10pm.Last time on Dish of the Day:Shao mai @ YuxingguanSee a complete list of Dish of the Day series here.Have a recommendation for Dish of the Day? Let Shanghaiist’s Food Editor know at [email protected]!